Is the Traditional Republican Party Being Replaced?

It is almost a given to say that every student living in the United States has had to take a government or history course at some point in their schooling. We know that our country is a dual-party system. Whereas countries like Germany or Mexico contain more than two dominant parties, American ideologies are crammed into two.

Though our political parties have changed names and platforms over the years through partisan realignment, there have always been two. Recently, however, the ridiculous measures of groups such as the “social justice warriors” and the alt-right are pushing conservative millennials (those 18 to 29) to the Libertarian party.

Was the election and political upheaval of 2016 enough to shift American politics once again?

Libertarians, as we know, base their beliefs and policy ideas from the theory of a minuscule government; a platform stressing social and economic freedom. According to CNN, conservative millennials are more likely to support gay and lesbian rights, racial diversity, and gender equality compared to previous generations. Within this same research, these millennials are conservative when it comes to the second amendment and a free market.

Furthering this point, a survey given by the World Economic Forum (WEF) surveyed thousands of millennials on what they believed were the biggest problems that our world faces today. Among the top ten problems mentioned by those surveyed, a “lack of political freedom” and “government corruption” were two of them.

This further promotes the idea that the millennial generation is progressing to a political standpoint of fighting “corrupt establishment” and minimizing government overreach, even for social issues.

A good representation of government activity is how it gets its revenue. As specified by the well-known network The Blaze, the newly established Libertarian sees that the original GOP is no better than the Democrats when it comes to tax cuts and taxation in general, eventually giving birth to the “taxation is theft” movement and pushing yet another aspect of millennial libertarianism.

It is evident in daily media that the left is getting more and more radical while traditional conservatism shows signs of incompatibility in our ever-changing world. With that in mind, will libertarianism work to neutralize the political playing field by playing off both party’s platforms or is this another political phase that will eventually come and go?

About The Author

Reid Hansen (@ReidHansenMO) is currently a graduate student studying Public Administration at Park University in Kansas City, Missouri and serves as a member of The College Conservative's editorial board. He is a dedicated member to the conservative movement, specifically in the State of Missouri.